


A Master of Puppets Mastering His Fate

by Canceruary



Series: Master of Puppets [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-07 08:27:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13430844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canceruary/pseuds/Canceruary
Summary: Saudorn Zalear is a writer, living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in an alternate world. After the failures of writing in the past, he writes another book to prove people that he's not a bad writer, and it meets the success it deserves; however, something wrong happens, "something incredible, something impossible... Something... terrible". His fate beckons (OCxKorra)





	1. Prologue

**This fic is rated M because of violent and sexual contents. It starts light, but will get heavy soon xD . I do not own the Legend of Korra. Credits go to the owners and creators of that amazing show. Please review and comment if you want.**

**Prologue**

My name is Saudorn Zalear, used to be a failed writer and was a past-time guitarist. Over the course of my short-lived writing career, I have published five short stories, countless of poems and two novels, which received from average to poor reviews ( except for my second novel ) which didn't help my income much. But thank to a generous government's ( namely Canada ) disability benefit program ( one year ago, I had a car accident which took away my ability to walk around as I'd usually done ), I didn't have to worry about my income anymore.

Anyway, I'm not gonna bother you with all the small details from my life prior to that day, the day I finally got the attention I'd longed for, as a writer. Yes, notwithstanding my previous failures ( after a period of depression, that is ), I wrote another novel to prove myself to my country and to the world that I could be compared to the great and legendary writers I adored; and by all that is good, I did it! My second book, titled 'Invasion of A Malevolent Entity', managed to become a best-seller and won the Trillium Book Award ( an annual book prize sponsored by the Government of Ontario ), helping me break through the thick web of harsh criticisms and derision and putting me on the 'Dais of The Great' ( my own pantheon of great writers ).

Unfortunately, things went horribly wrong six weeks after that. Six weeks after I became the Stephen King of Canada, something happened; something incredible, something impossible... Something... terrible. Somehow, someway, one of my fictional characters - a villain - became real; his name was Zulathulhu, and he was mad. He was mad at me because I hadn't kept my own promise of letting him stay alive at the end of the novel. He was mad and he wanted revenge. So, he destroyed my home, my city, my country and the world while making me witness it all.

 _No, what have I done??_ I asked myself in shock and horror as I saw Zulathulhu's creations spread all over the Earth like a horrid, otherworldly pandemic they were.

And to make me even more desperate, he whispered in my ear with these words:

"This is not the end, O Arrogant Creator. I shall shatter your mean of existence by forcing you to watch your favorite realities of entertainment ravaged and devoured by my legions of wrathful madness. I shall make you cry out with anguish and hopelessness to the point of oblivion of the mind. Then, I shall transform you into one of my spawns and let you attest the might of my ever-expanding empire of chaos and darkness into many more realities that everything has to offer. And when all is said and done, I shall allow you to die, without hope, just as you have let me so".

With a great outcry of hate, I came at him in my wheelchair to punch him, to scratch him, to bite him, whatever it took to make him furious enough to kill me with one swift strike; thus, denied his satisfaction of seeing me suffer. However, before I could even touch him, there was a blinding light in front of me. Then blinding light everywhere! So bright, so hot. And I heard my villain-creation and his spawns howl and shriek aloud with rage, fear and pain. I, too, screamed at the excruciating heat.

And then there were none, other than the blackness of either death, or unconsciousness...


	2. Chapter I - New Life For Hope

There was blackness. Blackness everywhere. Yet somehow there was a consciousness, it had a name, and its name was Saudorn Zalear. No, my name is Saudorn Zalear! And I remembered everything, from the destruction of Earth to the dark and morbid promise that Zulathulhu - my former favorite fictional character, ever - had given me. Yes, I remembered everything, especially those last words...

_And when all is said and done, I will allow you to die, just like you have let me so._

_My Goodness, those words..._ Those words sent a sense of dread and finality throughout my entire existence. They made me feel so numb. Just as I did at that moment.

 _Wait a minute._ I wonder. _I feel numb? I actually feel numb? But where is my bo-_

And there it was, fl-floating? Floating vertically next to me. I looked peaceful with eyes closed. _But didn't that mean I was dead at the moment and I'm-_

 _Yes, my friend, you are in the spirit form now. But that doesn't mean you are dead._ A voice sounded seemingly in front of me, yet I could hear it from all directions.

 _Who- What- Where?_ I inquired the voice out of surprise.

_My name is Esillith, and as to what I am, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that you are here._

_Here? Where is here?_

_The World of Benders, of course! One of your favorite realities._

_The World of Benders? As in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender?_

_Yes, and no. This is truly the world that Avatar Aang resides. Or used to reside. In fact, you are in another era right now, where I am sure you are fami-_

_You mean the Legend of Korra? I'm actually in the Legend of Korra universe?_

_I think you should call it the 'World of Benders' to make it easier for yourself._

Upon hearing this, I was flabbergasted. How in hell was I in here in the Legend of Korra universe? And is this even real? It was just a TV show, for Goodness's sake!

As if the Voice was able to read my thoughts, the answers to my questions came immediately.

_Let's just say that I helped you arrive here a little bit, and this is very real, my friend. I will explain everything to you later; but first thing first, I want you to know that Zulathulhu is very furious right now, and is searching for you. He just doesn't know where you disappeared to, so I think there is plenty of time for you to get to know this world, become its hero and guardian and protect it from Zulathulhu and his hellspawns._

The Voice continued to speak to cut off my next barrage of questions.

_Now I will grant you a gift which is your mean of survival in this world 'til you meet the Avatar and ally with her and her friends to prevent this reality from being destroyed by your now archenemy. This gift is called 'John Landers'. Sounds familiar?_

_Wait, what? You're going to give me John Landers as a companion?_ I exclaimed, excited. John Landers was the main protagonist in my second book, who stood up against Zulathulhu and his abominations and whose intellect resembled the character Magneto from Marvel Comics.

_Actually, no, I am going to give his powers to you, Saudorn._

_What??? No, you can't do that! But what about him??_

_When I give you his powers, technically, you're him, just with a different name and personality. Do you remember how you were after the car accident?_

I was stunned to see that Esillith, the Voice or whatever he was, knew about my struggle after that terrible day. The dark thoughts, the urge to commit suicide, the self-hate, everything about that lowest point of my life. Warily, I asked him.

_Who are you? Who- No, what are you, really?_

The Voice chuckled. _Like I said, dear Saudorn, it doesn't matter. But you rest assured that I am on your side, just as you are going to be on Korra's. Now, close your eyes, relax and think of the moments you gained composure the most about you. You ask why and I'll tell you: It is important for you to keep those memories with you always in order to control your newfound powers. If you fail, then your powers will be useless. Now do it._

Bewildered, yet sensing that Esillith was honest ( to some extent ), I did what he asked of me. I closed my eyes, relaxed, and think about the times when I concentrated on completing my works. Yes, those were the moments that I gained composure the most about myself; those were the moments I felt audacity, the firmness of my purpose, faith in myself and creativity. Yes, that was right, those moments. Those moments... Thos-

Suddenly, I felt different as previously, I'd felt too light and too purposeless. Now I felt firm in my heart and faithful to my own existence. I felt powerful. I felt invincible! I felt-

_Ugh. No! The pressure! The weight! I couldn't breathe! I couldn't- Esillith, help! Esillith! Where are you? I can't-_

There was that light again, and for a moment, I heard someone call me. No, I heard my body call me. It was time for me... to be one with it. To be Saudorn Zalear completely once more.

It was time...


	3. Chapter II - I Have Arrived, Part I/Trial By Wrestling Simulator

**I do not own the Legend of Korra. Credits go to the owners and creators of that amazing show. Please review and comment if you want.**

I woke up from what seemed to me the most bizarre dream I ever got, and found myself lying within a field of grass-

_Wait a minute, is this Earth? Is this way before the Zulathulhu thing? But where the hell am-_ I sat up with bewilderment and confusion, and a mild, yet annoying headache.

_Good-fuckin'-ness! Why is it a headache the first thing greeting me every single time I wake up?_ I groggily and grumpily rubbed my left temple with my left hand.

But to be honest, headaches went hand-in-hand with my life ever since my eyes needed a pair of glasses for me to see normally. And speaking of glasses...

_Oh no! Where did my glasses go?! Where the hell did it go?? I panicked. Are you fuckin' kidding me? Without the glasses, I can't see shi-_ I stood up and looked around frantically for my glasses, and I saw everything just fine. And I could stand too!

Now this was weird. Really really weird. I could see clearly and I could stand up on my own legs also! But how could it be possible? Did this have anything to do with the dream? Did the powers Esillith'd "extracted" from my character 'John Landers' somehow cured or healed me from short-sighted eyes and damaged legs? I didn't remember any of that. I didn't even remember whether I was wearing glasses in that strange dream or not; however, I'd noticed that my wheelchair was nowhere near me- I mean my body, in that dream. This is all so weird, man. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes, trying to process the string of events happening to me for the past... Oh, fuck it, I don't even know how much time has passed ever since shit went downhill. Gotta ease the headache, man, gotta take it easy. Inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly, I calmed myself, not letting the headache get the better of me. And when I opened my eyes...

_Amazing... The grass..._ Grass after fresh and green grass, with clear blue sky overhead and purple-like mountains from afar serving as the sky's horizon. There was also wind blowing, caressing the grass blades, making them dance to the tune of Nature. I inhaled deeply again, breathing in a fair amount of fresh air and exhaled aloud. So peaceful, so harmonic... Everything was perfect. Unlike the nightmare that I was forced to witness by Zulathulhu himself... And such thought brought the hellish scenes back to me. Those horrendous vistas, of fire, destruction, slaughter and utter madness: The screams of despair, the shrieks of horror, the shouts of agony, vain and helpless prayers, torn and chewed bodies everywhere. Men and women, children and the elders, even infants and newborns subjected to the frightful shapes of terror and those gaping maws of everlasting hunger. Blood and guts and crimson bones painted a war-torn world with a new level of malicious and evil Hellscapes. Roaming fell beasts and eldritch chaos patrolling the lands as if the Earth'd finally become their lair at last, yet they were only a tool for havoc created by their Lord-Creator, obeying his every cruel wish and command with glee and thirst and hunger for fresh preys. Goodness... Such memory... Such memory that quelled the peaceful energy that this place offered me!

Spun by the impact of that horrific scenes in my mind, I staggered and fell down on my knees. _It was all my fault. Don't know how it happened, but it was all my fault._ I should have quit writing and just sat on my depressed ass and let the disability insurance take care of me. That way, I wouldn't be responsible for the shit I'd fuckin' done. That way, I would just-

"You would just what, dear Saudorn?". Suddenly, there was a voice above me.

Surprised, I looked up and saw a big, dark blue and otherworldly orb hovering in front of me. The sight was quite strange to me, yet the voice was not.

"Esillith? Is that you?", I inquired the Orb.

"The one and only". Esillith chuckled.

"So... this is your true form", I stated, a little disappointed.

"Yes, this is my true form, dear Saudorn. What did you expected? Master Gandalf? Professor Dumbledore? Or maaaaybe... Charles Xavier?". The Orb teased me.

Before I could come up with a comeback, the Orb cut me off.

"We have no time to bicker, my friend. Time, is of the essence. You must begin your training now, to survive in the World of Benders"

So I am truly in the World of Benders now, no joke. No wonder the scene here comforts me so much...  
"Ah, yes, you were wondering where you are, I see. I have transported you from Zulathulhu's Flesh Fortress to this world and put John Landers's powers inside you via the confirmation of your soul. You are far away from your archenemy, safe for the time being. However, time tends to fly fast, and you have to be ready for him. So, for four months in my pocket universe, you will be training basic wrestling skills, which are seven in total. Then, there will be intermediate training as well. Any question?"

"Uh, yeah, question, like... Why do I need wrestling skills while I have John Landers's powers anyway? With his powers, I can best anyone in this world, including Korra. Hell, maybe I can even best Aang himself as well". I huffed.

"Two reasons. First of all, your powers have the same aspect as the "art" of bloodbending, which will make people antagonize you, which is NOT an outcome you and I really need. Second of all, I have locked your powers away to prevent arrogance from controlling you. Even so, I saw that you were still affected by the thought that you are too powerful for this world, which, in fact, is true. Nevertheless, arrogance is a very very dangerous thing and it can manage to bring down even the most powerful being in existence. This, I assure you, my friend, is not far from the truth as I have seen so many rises and falls of empires and significant figures. You are the only hope this world and any other have against Zulathulhu and you know it, so don't think you can pull the "Chosen One" card and be done with it. Do you understand?".

Reprimanded by Esillith, I looked down in shame and kicked myself in the ass in my mind. Of course! my powers do have the same aspect as bloodbending. Well, from others' perspective, that was. John Landers had the ability to manipulate living beings down to molecular level, making them dance to his tune. Sounds pretty much like bloodbending right? I mean the "dancing to his tune" part. So no matter how hard I'd tried to explain, the people in this world, especially benders, would convince themselves that I was a bloodbender. End of discussion, end of story, you're going down, goodbye! Also, about the arrogance part, Esillith was spot on: I did come off arrogant and would pay dearly had I wandered off towards the city acting like an insufferable jerk like Kratos from that stupid God of War franchise. Not good, not good at all, if you ask me.

"Ahem, have you finished thinking, Saudorn? Because we need to get you trained properly immediately". Esillith's voice broke my thoughts.

"Uh, yeah, of course, sir!".

"Good. Let's go".

"Wait a minute, Esillith, whe-".

Before I could finished my question, there was a blinding light and everything went black quickly. _Good-fuckin'-ness, what's with this orb guy and light?_

******

Blackness. Blackness everywhere again. Then, I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying in a really big wrestling ring, which had six sides, just like the ones from good, old TNA.

_Cool. At least Esillith acknowledges my hate for WWE._

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, Esillith appeared. He looked at me ( okay, I assumed he looked at me ) then said:

"Alright, I think I did a pretty good job recreating the six-sided TNA ring which you loved so much. Anyway, let's get started. First, I want you to work with stance and motion; and to make the, uh, course a bit faster and smoother, I will put these images of amateur wrestlers doing stance and motion in your mind just so you know what to do"

And like he said, the images appeared in my mind and stayed there until, I thought, I did the stance perfectly. But instead of practicing right away, I asked my "coach":

"Just a quick question, Esillith. Why didn't you put the images of all the seven basic skills in my head so I can perfect them all straight away?".

"I don't think you want your brain to be overloaded and fried, my friend". Came the answer.

"Okay, got it". I nodded.

So I focused on the images and practiced the stance and motion, and for half an hour, I kept practicing 'til I almost perfect the first two skills ( kinda ). Esillith spoke when I finished:

"Good. Now to level change and penetration ( no dirty thoughts )".

The images of level change and penetration entered my mind. But before I start, let me explain to you about level chance and penetration: Level change is the act of raising and lowering your hips to set up or execute an attack or to counter the moves of your opponent. While penetration is the first offensive movement that puts you in a position to score. For the next one hour, I set to practice these two skills. After that, it was back step and back arch, in one hour and a half: Footwork and hipwork to make sure you move with speed, execute perfect upper body throw and protect your head while throwing your opponent down upon the mat or ring floor ( by tucking your hips under your opponent, your head won't touch the mat/floor when done against him/her ). Finally, lift, in one hour: Used to finish takedowns, to set up pinning combinations, to counter escapes and to counter takesdowns. And with back step, back arch and lift, I got a dummy to play with. However, at the end of today's course, there was a small exam, and I got a real opponent: I, me and myself ( namely my clone )

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out, time out, Esillith! I'm not ready to fight a person! I'm not ready to fight my-"

A spear-like takedown cut me off from completing my objection. Before I even tried to muster any counter, I was pulled up by my clone ( did I tell you that my clone was a fairly muscular guy and was a bit taller than me? No? Well, now you know ) and was slammed down on the ring floor, wind knocked out of my lungs, eyes seeing stars. And I was just played around like that for fifteen more minutes without halt: Picked up, slammed down; picked up, slammed down; picked up, slammed down; sometimes got into a submission move too ( and I tapped out like a bitch-rookie I was ). After that, I was released and got a breather.

"What do you think? Pleased with your clone? That is you after three months of workout. Took me awhile to mold him from nothing, heh heh". Esillith hovered above me and declared, adding a chuckled in the end.

"I... don't... know. But I... do know... one thing: If I catch... you... with my bare hands, I'll... I'll... I'll mold you into a frickin' square!".

"Well, I look forwards to that, dear Saudorn. When you complete the training, that is", Esillith replied, then he moved away and let out a sound resembling a whistle's "ttsssssssss".

_Here we go again._ I thought somberly as the fairly muscled Me approached, eager for another fun-time session...


	4. Completing The Training ( Replacement )

Esillith'd told me that I had four months to train basic and intermediate wrestling skills, which I did. The first month, I completed the basic skills and paired intensely with my clone ( and don't worry about the eating, the resting, the showering, the crapping and the sleeping, because my friend the Orb Guy had thought of all that way before he brought me into his pocket universe. To tell you the truth, I was pretty surprised he could make a house with every home appliance, food, drinks and other stuff available next to the wrestling ring for my bodily functions ). Came the second month, I was to stop the wrestling training and focused on a very strict workout program which resembled the Greek God Muscle Building Program. In this program, I must do floor press and standing press, starting with 30lbs, lateral raises 10lbs and skull crushers 20lbs to get my body used to the coming schedules after being disrupted by the Zulathulhu thing ( after the car accident, I began to lift weights for a short period of time before concentrating on writing ). Then, I added weights, from 55lbs ( floor press and standing press ), 15lbs ( lateral raises ) and still 20lbs ( skull crushers ) to 70lbs, 25lbs and 30lbs, and while I was at it, I practiced my footwork too. Next, I began the Aggressive Fat Loss Program, Flexibility For Martial Arts, Exercises For Washboard Abs and Scapula Mobilization Routine. After that, I focused on perfecting my footwork ( more footwork ).

The next month, I was to practice my basic wrestling moves: Half-Nelson ( typically done using just one arm, slipping your arm underneath your opponent's armpit and wrap your hand around the back of his/her neck while using your free hand to hold your opponent's other wrist so he/she cannot break free ), Single and Double Leg Take Down and Ankle Pick ( putting one of your hands behind your opponent's neck, moving in the direction of your hand so that your opponent takes a step with his/her opposite leg, then grabbing the ankle with your free hand, pulling it up with that hand and pushing the head down with the other, creating opportunity for either a spin/cover or an Ankle Lock ). Next, I was allowed to study and practice finishing moves and submission moves, such as: The Spear, Diamond Cutter, The Lariat/Clothesline, The Powerbomb, Ankle Lock, Sleeper Hold, Mandible Claw and Crossface Crippler. And at the end of this month, there was another small exam, which was a bit more brutal than the first one. Subsequently, the last month arrived; but it was not much, just revision of what I'd learned. And then came the final exam, and I think you already knew it would be the most brutal of all. After an hour and a half warming up, I got into the ring, awaiting my final exam. Esillith appeared out of nowhere, as usual, and spoke to me:

"Are you ready for this, saudorn? Today is your graduation day".

"You know I am, Esillith. Let's bring it on!", I exclaimed excitedly.

"Good. That's the spirit. Now I want you to close your eyes and relax. I have a surprise for you".

I did as I was told, closing my eyes and relaxing. Through my eyelids, I felt that there was a pretty long flash of light, then the light was still there yet its brightness seemed to subside a bit. I opened my eyes and was amazed! I was inside a really spacious WWE-like arena with lights overhead and empty seats all around. I looked straight ahead and there they were: The ramp, the entrance, the titantron, all old-school like it was back in the 2000-2003 period. The only difference was the six-sided ring that I was currently standing in. This was awesome! Sensing my excitement, Esillith gave out a hearty laugh.

"I knew you would like it. But the like is over, son; time for the dislike, namely, your opponent".

And the music hit and my smile melted away. _Holy shit, my opponent is Kurt Angle._

...

I stared at the titantron, eyes wide, jaw seeming to drop to the floor. _You gotta be kidding me. Kurt Angle?? I'm going to get my ass killed!_ Way above my head, I heard Esillith announce.

"Ladies and gentlemen who aren't even here, please welcome, KURT - AAAAAAAAAAAAANGLE!".

Three seconds later, the Wrestling Machine himself showed up, walking out from behind the titantron, heading towards the ring. He was wearing his normal TNA Stars and Stripes costume, two black knee braces on each knee and a pair of white running shoes. My nervousness increased tenfold when Kurt walked up the steel steps and into the ring. He approached me with confidence and calmness and then he extended his hand, indicating a professional handshake before starting a match; I grabbed it a bit anxiously and Kurt gave me a firm shake, let go then walked to his corner, waiting for Esillith to ring the bell or something. Up in the air, Esillith looked at us for a while, then he gave out a bell-like sound and the match finally started!

First, both of I and Kurt did the circling routine, reading each other's expressions. Next, we grasped each other by the back of the neck with both hands, and suddenly Kurt gave me a headlock, jerking me around a little, surprising the hell out of me! My wrestling instinct kicking in immediately, I wrapped both of my arms around Kurt's belly and focusing my entire weight on my legs to stop the jerking. Using my whole strength, I pushed him away running towards the ropes while I fell flat on my stomach, turning left, creating a line. Running back towards me, Kurt made a small jump past me, heading to the opposite ropes; I stood up and jumped over him as he came bouncing back from the ropes and turned around quickly, grabbing his left leg, lifting him up and flapjacked him right on his back, hard, wanting to end this match as soon as possible. I covered him and only got the two count from Esillith. Not wasting my time, I stood up again and kicked him all over as he rolled away towards the nearest under rope, touching it, signalling for Esillith to count to five ( if Esillith counted to five and I still kicked Kurt while he was still holding the under rope, I would be disqualified ). I stopped kicking Kurt, fell back a bit, waiting for him to stand up, then grasped his left arm and pulled him towards the opposite ropes. However, Kurt already figured out a counter, quickly using his weight to halt my pulling, wrapping both his arms around me and gave me a belly-to-belly suplex, making me land on my back, hard, too. _Fuck, the pain..._ He covered me right after that and only got a two count from the Orb Guy-Referee, because I didn't plan to fail the exam that early!

Grabbing me by the hair, Kurt pulled me up and used his right arm's bicep to knock me right under the chin, making me stumble backwards, seeing stars. Before I could stood up, Kurt grasped my hair again, pulling me up, turning me around and knocked me towards a ring pole. Then, he proceeded to punch me right in the head repeatedly 'til I sat on my ass against the pole. I heard Esillith counted to five and when he reached four, Kurt backed off and waited for me to stand up then ran towards me, clotheslining me so hard the wind was knocked out of my lungs, again. My vision began to get blurry a little bit as I grabbed the ropes, trying to steady myself, only to face another clothesline! I fell flat on the ring floor, face sideways, and felt Kurt rolled me up and covered me again. I heard Esillith count and hastily put my left arm and shoulder up, kicking out at two. I heard Kurt grumbled in frustration and felt him pull me up. Not want to be beaten again, I punched him right in the stomach, making him stoop down, groaning slightly. I punched him in the stomach again, and again, and took advantage of the opportunity to put the Crossface Crippler on him, turning the table in a blink of an eye!

Surprised by the submission move, Kurt groaned loudly, his free right arm waving frantically. Determined to finish the match with him tapped out, I applied pressure on his face and left shoulder, muffling his moan of agony. After a while, his free arm's action began to slacken off; hope flared within me. _Maybe he's not gonna tap but I can make him pass out!_ Rookie mistake. Hope made me lower my concentration and the pressure lessened, giving him room to breathe. Before I could re-apply the pressure again, Kurt tried to crawl towards the under rope in front of him! _Shit, shit, shit! Do not let him reach the rope, you idiot! Apply the pressure! Apply the fuckin' pressure again!_ Agitatedly, I tried to strengthen the hold while Kurt kept putting his face on the floor, moving towards the under rope. Then, my hope of securing a victory over Kurt Angle passed as he reached the under rope; I had to let go. Angry, I stood up, grabbing his left foot and pulled him away from the under rope, trying to give him the Ankle Lock, his own medicine. However, he rapidly turned around on his back, pulling his legs towards him and kicked me away. I stumbled towards the ring ropes behind me, grasped them, turned around, only to get a belly-to-belly overhead suplex again! I groaned in pain, trying to stand up, got another one, got covered. Esillith counted.

"One, two- Two!".

"Goddamn it, come on!", Kurt yelled in open frustration.

I heard him breathe hard, walking back and forth; I tried to stand up, failed. Pain, my back was filled with pain. I heard Kurt jumped up and down, yelling:"Come on, you piece of shit, stand up!". No doubt he'd pulled his costume down, half-naked, eager to Angleslam me. I crawled on all fours, slowly gathering my strength to stand up. _I have to avoid being Angleslammed. If I am Angleslammed, it's fuckin' over._ Esillith'd taught me that whenever in a fight, or in combat, "do not let your opponents read your every move. Be creative, surprise them". _I'm gonna do just that, Coach, believe me. I'm not gonna motherfuckin' lose now, not today._ My thoughts finished, I agonizingly stood up and immediately felt Kurt move behind me, his right hand under my left leg, my left arm over his shoulders. Before Kurt lifted me up and Angleslammed me, I headbutted him! I just kept headbutting him 'til he slipped away. When he turned around, I hit him with a step-up Enzuigiri right on his left ear! Caught by the impact, Kurt crashed down on the floor, face down, like a fell tree. Not wasting my time again, I pulled him kneeling up, stepped away a bit and kicked him right on the forehead with my left foot! Knowing that Kurt was 100% down and out, I covered him and Esillith began to count.

"One. Two. Three!".

_It's over. It's over. It's fuckin' over!_

_I won..._

I moved away from the unconscious form of Kurt Angle and lay down on my back, both hands covering my face, overwhelmed with joy, shedding tears of my first victory. I passed the final exam! I did it!  
  
...  
  
When I opened my eyes again, the arena was gone; there was only the ring and the house next to it. I sat up, face still wet with tears, and looked for Kurt Angle and he was nowhere to be found. Maybe Esillith put him back into oblivion just like he's molded him out of nowhere. Also, the Orb Guy was not around too. _Where the hell is he? Ah, fuck it, he loved the disappearing/reappearing act. Let him. After that damn match, I feel like I'm too old for all this shit_ ( Martin Riggs:"You're not too old for this shit ). I walked towards the house, entered it, struggled to get my shoes off, went to "my" room and got some clothes out, went into the bathroom, got rid of my simple ring costume ( a T-shirt and a long tights ), showered, changed, headed out and into "my" room again and crashed onto the bed, slept. The next morning, I was rudely awakened by the sound of an alarm clock. Groggily and grumpily I reached the night stand next to my bed, intending to throw the damn thing away. Instead, there was only empty space, no clock. I pushed myself up and looked at the night stand, staring blankly at it. _Where the fuck is the fuckin' clock?_ I turned around to lay on my back... and then I saw Esillith.

"The hell are you doing here, looking at me sleeping, you otherworldly pervert??", I shouted at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Saudorn. I came to wake you up. I was the alarm, after all". If the frickin' orb'd had a face, I swear there would be a shit-eating grin plastered all over it. Bastard.

"Can't I just sleep some more? I'm still tired, you know?".

"Quit whining, you big baby. I made you breakfast, your favorite: Two eggs and bacon and toast. Let's go!".

"Ugh, you goddamn conniving piece of shit", I grumbled, tossing the thin blanket away, getting out of bed and the room and entered the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

Four minutes later, I came down to the kitchen/dining room, pulling out a chair, sat on it, looked at the meal and proceeded to wolf it down. After I finished my breakfast, Esillith offered me a cup of cappuccino; I muttered a 'thank you' and took a fair sip of it. When I put the cup down on the table, Esillith spoke:

"Now, let's talk about true business. As you knew, I have locked your powers away to avoid arrogance from getting the better of you; however, you have earned yourself, uh, let's just say an achievement, by defeating Kurt Angle, meaning: 15% of your powers have been activated inside you. In other words, you can control people's motions with your fingers and hands now. Congratulations".

"Really? Awesome! Can I try it?". I was excited at the news.

"You can do it when you're back in the World of Benders, after this conversation. Next, I give you two maps, the World Map and the map of Republic City for easy navigation". From out of nowhere, two maps appeared in the air and was gently laid down on the table, in front of me. "Next, I give you the World of Benders's money, mainly comprising of the United Republic of Nations and Republic City's currency". A fairly big pouch materialized out of thin air, then was laid down in front of me, next to the map. "Open it", Esillith suggested.

I opened the pouch and peeked into it, seeing pink bills and golden coins. "There are 200 yuans in total, which ensures that you'll be able to afford things in that world. Nevertheless, saving is the key word, even though I can make more for you; after all, being humble will give people like Tenzin a positive first impression, thus strengthens your alliance with the Avatar and her friends. Last but not least, I give you these clothes to let you have a better chance of immersing in the people's way of life; because, trust me, being a complete stranger in that world is not a good idea, even with your powers. But if you think you can live dangerously, you're welcome to try. Any question?". Matching shirt and pants, which resembled the Changshan, appeared and was laid on top of the maps.

"Yes, sir. Am I going to be dropped back at the field of grass where I'd woken up before? And if that's so, how far from that place to Republic City?".

"Yes, you will be dropped back there, and it's not really far away from your destination. You will find everything you know from the World Map. Anything else?".

"I got it, Esillith".

"Good. Now I'll put everything in this small duffel bag. You should finish the cappuccino, then we'll get going". Esillith created a small duffel bag, like he'd said, and moved every item he showed me into it.

Meanwhile, I finished the cappuccino, wiped my mouth free of stain with a paper tissue, stood up and moved away from the table. Esillith gave the duffel bag to me then said:

"Lest I forget, my dear Saudorn, the clothes you're wearing is not fit for an adventure. They look... too casual, I have to say. You like metal, don't you? Then let's give you some badass outfit!"

And in a blink of an eye, my casual shirt was replaced with a fit, black Slayer Tee with the silver Eagle and the word Slayer inside a yellow circle, pierced by four swords in a near-complete Pentagram shape, covered by a long, black and sleeveless denim jacket. My pants with a black, fairly fit jeans plastered all over with Overkill's I Hear Black cover art ( without the band's name and the album title, that is ) and my shoes was black as well. All in all, I was even more badass then a man in black!

"I see that you like it. Very good. Close your eyes now, my friend; I will transport you back to the World of Benders. Also, this is a goodbye to you. But don't worry, we'll see each other again, probably several months later. May the Force/luck/whatever be with you".

And with a great flash of light, I felt everything change in front of my closed eyes. The house's floor disappeared, yielding for the grass; the normal indoor atmosphere replaced by the cool and calm Summer breeze of wind; the light from my friend the Orb Guy's pocket universe returned to the radiant sunlight of the World of Benders. I opened my eyes and saw that I was indeed standing among the familiar field of grass, and there was no Esillith hovering near me like he'd done the past four months. So he truly said goodbye. Putting down the duffel bag, I unzipped it and took out the World Map, studying it. _According to this, I am currently in the northwestern part of Earth Kingdom, just a bit south of the United Republic of Nations, including Republic City itself. Now, the southern part of the United Republic of Nations and Earth Kingdom's northwestern part are divided by a river called 'Soo Ohkoo'? Shit, I forgot how to spell names in the Avatar universe since the two shows ended long ago. Guess I have to play dumb to learn the pronunciation of names and shit. Anyway, there is a village resort on... or above the river, connecting the two continents together; to arrive at Republic City, I must pass the resort, then the city's checkpoint, in order to gain entry into the city. Sounds like a plan to me._ Putting the map back inside the bag, I zipped it, set it on my right shoulder, started walking towards the direction of the village resort. I wondered what would be the surprises in store for me in this world; a world I came to love greatly yet forgot so quickly, having focused on my writing career in the past. To tell you the truth, I was excited and anxious at the same time. Finally, I am able to live in a fantasy world! A world so different from one I came from. or used to come from. Yes, my world was gone, and this was going to be my new home from then on. A home under the threat of annihilation promised by my archenemy, and what is worse is the fact that it was unaware of the distant, looming threat. A storm brewing on the horizon. No, I cannot afford that! I would not allow this world to be broken by Zulathulhu and his hellspawns! I must think of those moments of composure and move on ahead. I was not the Avatar but I'd be damned if I failed this world.

Audacity, firmness of purpose, faith in oneself and creativity. Taking a deep breath, I quickened my pace. _Republic City, here I come..._


End file.
